June 2012 – Ninth Level Irelandhttp://9thlevel.ie
Irish University News Politics and Law
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1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.1.121495048Reffing Madnesshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/reffing-madness/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/reffing-madness/#respondSat, 30 Jun 2012 13:24:32 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51134“I’m motivated to make a quick post in order to direct you to a blog post by David Colquhoun that describes the horrendous behaviour of the management at Queen Mary, University of London in response to the Research Excellence Framework. It seems that wholesale sackings are in the pipeline there as a result of a management strategy to improve the institution’s standing in the league tables by ‘restructuring’ some departments …” (more)

[In the Dark, 30 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/reffing-madness/feed/051134Irish performance in QS rankings: Comparison with last yearhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/irish-performance-in-qs-rankings-comparison-with-last-year/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/irish-performance-in-qs-rankings-comparison-with-last-year/#respondSat, 30 Jun 2012 09:16:03 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51086Comparison of 2012 figures with 2011 figures (in parentheses), based on ranking within the top 200. There are some methodological differences between the two surveys, discussed here.

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/irish-performance-in-qs-rankings-comparison-with-last-year/feed/051086Terms agreed for future public service parting dealhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/terms-agreed-for-future-public-service-parting-deal/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/terms-agreed-for-future-public-service-parting-deal/#respondSat, 30 Jun 2012 08:23:03 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51083“The government and public service trade unions have reached agreement on the terms to apply in the event a of a new voluntary redundancy scheme being introduced in the future. The formula will involve the payment of three weeks’ pay for each year of service plus statutory entitlement …” (more)

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/qs-world-subject-ranking-%e2%80%93-uk-universities/feed/051080I can’t blame young people from turning away from further educationhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/i-cant-blame-young-people-from-turning-away-from-further-education/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/i-cant-blame-young-people-from-turning-away-from-further-education/#respondSat, 30 Jun 2012 08:16:36 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51077“There has been yet more awful news about the adult world of employment that the young people of this country are now expected to contend with. First, the number of 16- to 18-year-olds staying on at school has dropped for the first time in a decade. This is put down to the withdrawal of education maintenance allowance and the hike in tuition fees …” (more)

[Deborah Orr, Guardian, 30 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/i-cant-blame-young-people-from-turning-away-from-further-education/feed/051077Research projects to share €39m fundinghttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/research-projects-to-share-e39m-funding/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/research-projects-to-share-e39m-funding/#respondSat, 30 Jun 2012 08:14:47 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51074“Thirty advanced research projects are to share funding worth €39 million, allocated under the latest State investment in scientific research via Science Foundation Ireland. The cash will support the work of 151 scientists in areas including cancer, obesity, renewable energy and communications networks …” (more)

Dick Ahlstrom, Irish Times, 30 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/research-projects-to-share-e39m-funding/feed/051074‘Grey students’ set to take universities by stormhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/grey-students-set-to-take-universities-by-storm/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/grey-students-set-to-take-universities-by-storm/#respondSat, 30 Jun 2012 08:12:36 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51071“A grey revolution is about to take place in Britain’s higher education institutions from September, when part-time students become eligible for loans to cover the cost of their courses for the first time. Under the new rules, there will be no age limit as to who can apply …” (more)

[Richard Garner, Independent, 30 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/grey-students-set-to-take-universities-by-storm/feed/051071Fraud Detection Method Called Credible But Used Like an ‘Instrument of Medieval Torture’http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/fraud-detection-method-called-credible-but-used-like-an-instrument-of-medieval-torture/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/fraud-detection-method-called-credible-but-used-like-an-instrument-of-medieval-torture/#respondSat, 30 Jun 2012 08:10:45 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51068“Has Uri Simonsohn, a social psychologist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, discovered a new way to detect scientific fraud just by subjecting the data in published papers to a novel type of statistical analysis? That’s a question social psychologists and statisticians are asking after an investigative commission at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands …” (more)

[Martin Enserink, ScienceInsider, 29 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/fraud-detection-method-called-credible-but-used-like-an-instrument-of-medieval-torture/feed/051068Citation Cartel Journals Denied 2011 Impact Factorhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/citation-cartel-journals-denied-2011-impact-factor/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/citation-cartel-journals-denied-2011-impact-factor/#respondSat, 30 Jun 2012 08:08:33 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51065“Thomson Reuters released the 2011 edition of the Journal Citation Report (JCR) on Thursday, promoting increased coverage of regional journals and listing 526 new journals receiving their first journal impact factor. Far less conspicuous was a list of 51 journals that were suspended from this year’s report due to ‘anomalous citation patterns’ …” (more)

[Phil Davis, The Scholarly Kitchen, 29 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/citation-cartel-journals-denied-2011-impact-factor/feed/051065Our universities fall for the glitter of foreign goldhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/our-universities-fall-for-the-glitter-of-foreign-gold/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/our-universities-fall-for-the-glitter-of-foreign-gold/#respondSat, 30 Jun 2012 08:06:19 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51062“As a Telegraph investigation shows, the number of high-paying overseas students is soaring, but at what price to our venerable institutions? …” (more)

[Peter Stanford, Daily Telegraph, 29 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/30/our-universities-fall-for-the-glitter-of-foreign-gold/feed/051062Record number of journals banned for boosting impact factor with self-citationshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/record-number-of-journals-banned-for-boosting-impact-factor-with-self-citations/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/record-number-of-journals-banned-for-boosting-impact-factor-with-self-citations/#commentsFri, 29 Jun 2012 20:19:37 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51059“More research journals than ever are boosting their impact factors by self-citation. Every year, Thomson Reuters, the firm that publishes the impact factor rankings, takes action against the most extreme offenders by banning them from appearing in the latest lists. It lets them in again, suitably chastened, a couple of years later …” (more)

[Richard Van Noorden, Nature News Blog, 29 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/record-number-of-journals-banned-for-boosting-impact-factor-with-self-citations/feed/651059Uni rankings get C for confusedhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/uni-rankings-get-c-for-confused/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/uni-rankings-get-c-for-confused/#respondFri, 29 Jun 2012 19:28:12 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51056“Australian National University is the 24th best university in the world in media and communications, according to the newest league table, 2012 QS World University Rankings by Subject. But ANU doesn’t offer media and communications …” (more)

[Julie Hare, The Australian, 30 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/uni-rankings-get-c-for-confused/feed/051056Openness costshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/openness-costs/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/openness-costs/#respondFri, 29 Jun 2012 19:25:56 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51053“Britain has become involved in something of a national debate recently over access to the research literature. And within the past week, two reports have appeared that will be relevant to researchers everywhere …” (more)

[Editorial, Nature, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/openness-costs/feed/051053QS World University Rankings by Subject 2012http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/qs-world-university-rankings-by-subject-2012/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/qs-world-university-rankings-by-subject-2012/#respondFri, 29 Jun 2012 19:13:19 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51048University departments world-wide are ranked by subject. Irish departments in the world top 200 are as follows:

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/new-e39m-investment-in-scientific-research-to-facilitate-commercialisation-and-create-jobs-bruton/feed/051043National student survey reveals dissatisfaction with college courseshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/national-student-survey-reveals-dissatisfaction-with-college-courses/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/national-student-survey-reveals-dissatisfaction-with-college-courses/#respondFri, 29 Jun 2012 11:58:24 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51040“An Ireland-wide student survey by Campus.ie has revealed that almost half of third-level students are unhappy with their chosen college course and would choose differently if given the chance to do it over again …” (more)

[Elaine Burke, Silicon Republic, 29 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/national-student-survey-reveals-dissatisfaction-with-college-courses/feed/051040Graduation ritualshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/graduation-rituals/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/graduation-rituals/#respondFri, 29 Jun 2012 09:56:10 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51036“I’ve been feeling a bit sorry for our undergraduates this year. I’m not sure that May Balls etc give the image of Cambridge that I would most like to project, but I really don’t see why they shouldnt let their hair down, binge drink or whatever for a week – because almost all of them have been working themselves sick for months …” (more)

[Mary Beard, A Don’s Life, 29 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/graduation-rituals/feed/051036QS World University Rankings by Subject 2012 Releasehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/qs-world-university-rankings-by-subject-2012-release/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/qs-world-university-rankings-by-subject-2012-release/#respondFri, 29 Jun 2012 09:48:38 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51033“A second round of global comparisons of universities and specialist institutions in 29 subjects will begin to be published on Friday, 29th of June. The new QS World University Rankings by Subject will be released in four tranches, beginning with the social sciences …” (more)

[John O’Leary, QS Intelligence Unit, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/qs-world-university-rankings-by-subject-2012-release/feed/051033Learning boom as numbers rise 17%http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/learning-boom-as-numbers-rise-17/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/learning-boom-as-numbers-rise-17/#respondFri, 29 Jun 2012 06:50:45 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51030“Ireland’s colleges have been feeling the impact of a ‘student boom’ – with a 17% rise in the number of people returning to education. The effects of the downturn were starkly depicted in the number of men signing up to become full-time students …” (more)

[Louise Hogan, Independent, 29 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/learning-boom-as-numbers-rise-17/feed/051030Howlin says both sides must adhere to Croke Park dealhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/howlin-says-both-sides-must-adhere-to-croke-park-deal/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/howlin-says-both-sides-must-adhere-to-croke-park-deal/#respondFri, 29 Jun 2012 06:46:58 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51027“As long as the public service unions adhere to their side of the Croke Park agreement, the Government will stick to its side, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has insisted …” (more)

[Marie O’Halloran, Irish Times, 29 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/howlin-says-both-sides-must-adhere-to-croke-park-deal/feed/051027Teacher college ‘committed’ to training ‘all faiths and none’http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/teacher-college-committed-to-training-all-faiths-and-none/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/teacher-college-committed-to-training-all-faiths-and-none/#respondFri, 29 Jun 2012 06:44:43 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51024“One of the State’s largest Catholic teacher-training colleges has said it is ‘unreservedly committed to catering for students from all faith traditions and none’ …” (more)

[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 29 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/teacher-college-committed-to-training-all-faiths-and-none/feed/051024Universities carrying out more student background checkshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/universities-carrying-out-more-student-background-checks/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/universities-carrying-out-more-student-background-checks/#respondFri, 29 Jun 2012 06:42:31 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51021“Rising numbers of universities are using data on students’ family life, parental education and school type as part of the admissions process, research shows …” (more)

[Graeme Paton, Daily Telegraph, 29 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/universities-carrying-out-more-student-background-checks/feed/051021Libel reform needs to keep writers out of court, not make it easier to win once they’re therehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/libel-reform-needs-to-keep-writers-out-of-court-not-make-it-easier-to-win-once-theyre-there/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/libel-reform-needs-to-keep-writers-out-of-court-not-make-it-easier-to-win-once-theyre-there/#respondFri, 29 Jun 2012 06:40:16 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51018“When Ben Goldacre wrote in the Guardian about a man who claimed to South Africans that ‘multivitamin treatment is more effective than any toxic AIDS drug’, he was sued for libel. After fighting in court for 17 months, and spending £535,000 on legal fees, he won the case, and costs were awarded. Three years later, Goldacre has been paid back £365,000 …” (more)

[Alex Hern, New Statesman, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/29/libel-reform-needs-to-keep-writers-out-of-court-not-make-it-easier-to-win-once-theyre-there/feed/051018Nora Ephron: Writer, Director Understood Gender Gap Facing Women In Sciencehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/nora-ephron-writer-director-understood-gender-gap-facing-women-in-science/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/nora-ephron-writer-director-understood-gender-gap-facing-women-in-science/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 20:57:55 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51015“‘I remember in high school her saying, “Now what’d you want to take that science class for? There’s no girls in that science class. You take home ec, why don’t you? That’s the way to meet the nice boys”. “Mom”, I said, “There ain’t no boys in home ec. The boys are in the science class” …'” (more)

[Cara Santa Maria, Huffington Post, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/nora-ephron-writer-director-understood-gender-gap-facing-women-in-science/feed/051015Ten great blogs for PhD studentshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/ten-great-blogs-for-phd-students/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/ten-great-blogs-for-phd-students/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 20:25:02 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51012“Since I started reading blogs at 6 months into my PhD program, I’ve gained some valuable insights from my favorite blogs. An exhaustive list would only lure you into getting more clutter into your information stream – so here are my 10 favorites (in no particular order) …” (more)

[Eva Lantsoght, PhD Talk, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/ten-great-blogs-for-phd-students/feed/051012Teaching Hospitals, Medical Students Applaud Supreme Court’s Health-Care Rulinghttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/teaching-hospitals-medical-students-applaud-supreme-courts-health-care-ruling/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/teaching-hospitals-medical-students-applaud-supreme-courts-health-care-ruling/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 20:10:26 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51008“The US Supreme Court on Thursday, in a 5-4 decision that caught many observers by surprise, upheld a sweeping health-care overhaul that provides insurance coverage to 32 million more people, allows students to stay on their parents’ insurance policies until age 26, and offers a mixed bag of incentives and potential challenges to teaching hospitals …” (more)

[Katherine Mangan, Chronicle of Higher Education, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/teaching-hospitals-medical-students-applaud-supreme-courts-health-care-ruling/feed/051008Third Level Fundinghttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/third-level-funding-4/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/third-level-funding-4/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 18:24:36 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51005“Deputy Stephen S Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the plans or additional revenue streams, if any, he is pursuing, in order to reverse the current planned cuts to third level education, which over the next four years will amount to a cut of approximately 30% per student in real terms assuming the 6% cut in absolute funding in Budget 2012, 2% inflation per year and 18% more students; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/third-level-funding-4/feed/051005Postgraduate grantshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/postgraduate-grants-5/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/postgraduate-grants-5/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 18:14:53 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=51001“Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will explain the funding options that are available to persons who want to study at postgraduate level from September 2012 but cannot afford to following the abolition of postgraduate grants and in view of the fact that the back to education allowance is not an option for many in view of the fact that their chosen area for postgraduate study is different to that studied at undergraduate level; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/postgraduate-grants-5/feed/051001University Rankingshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/univeristy-rankings/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/univeristy-rankings/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 18:10:35 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50997“Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on Universitas 21 findings in relation to rankings for Irish universities; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/univeristy-rankings/feed/050997Student Grant Scheme – Processing of applicationshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/student-grant-scheme-processing-of-applications/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/student-grant-scheme-processing-of-applications/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 18:03:12 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50994“Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the online applications for student grants will be made available; the reason for the delay in making these forms available; if he will assure students that their applications will be processed prior to the start of their college year to prevent undue financial pressures on students and their families; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/student-grant-scheme-processing-of-applications/feed/050994Overpaymentshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/overpayments/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/overpayments/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 17:59:26 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50991“Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the unauthorised level of payments made to university staff; if universities have responded to him on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/overpayments/feed/050991A levels and Pointshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/a-levels-and-points/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/a-levels-and-points/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 17:55:18 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50987“Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the methodology and reason three Grade As achieved at A-level in the North of Ireland are allocated 450 points, when applicants for higher education are assessed after applying to a higher level institution in the 26 Counties …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/a-levels-and-points/feed/050987Points Systemhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/points-system/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/points-system/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 17:51:44 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50984“Deputy Thomas P Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when he expects reform proposals on the points system to be brought forward from the third level sector; if these proposals will then be published and consulted upon; the timeline for such a consultation; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/points-system/feed/050984Irish students at American universitieshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/irish-students-at-american-universities/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/irish-students-at-american-universities/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 17:48:07 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50981“Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills the funding options available to Irish citizens who have been offered places at American universities; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/irish-students-at-american-universities/feed/050981Third Level Grants and Disability Allowancehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/third-level-grants-and-disability-allowance/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/third-level-grants-and-disability-allowance/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 17:43:58 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50978“Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will allow top-up student grants to be paid retrospectively if, following appeal, a decision is made by the Department of Social Protection to award to a parent of a student in respect of an academic year since passed …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/third-level-grants-and-disability-allowance/feed/050978SUSIhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/susi/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/susi/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 17:40:07 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50975“Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline the progress made to date in establishing the new student grant awarding authority, SUSI; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/susi/feed/050975Education Research and Policy Institutehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/education-research-and-policy-institute/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/education-research-and-policy-institute/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 17:36:58 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50972“Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline his views on the proposal that an education research and policy institute should be established; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/education-research-and-policy-institute/feed/050972Scottish universities ‘bullied into submission’ by the SNPhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/scottish-universities-bullied-into-submission-by-the-snp/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/scottish-universities-bullied-into-submission-by-the-snp/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 16:54:54 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50969“Scotland’s Education Minister has faced accusations of bullying universities ‘into submission’ by threatening to press ahead with plans to elect the chairs of their courts …” (more)

[Simon Johnson, Daily Telegraph, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/scottish-universities-bullied-into-submission-by-the-snp/feed/050969Promotion of graduate premium is tantamount to ‘mis-selling’http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/promotion-of-graduate-premium-is-tantamount-to-mis-selling/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/promotion-of-graduate-premium-is-tantamount-to-mis-selling/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 15:05:10 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50966“The idea that a university degree gives all students a graduate premium on their lifetime earnings is misleading and the government is ‘mis-selling’ by making such claims, an expert seminar has heard …” (more)

[John Morgan, Times Higher Education, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/promotion-of-graduate-premium-is-tantamount-to-mis-selling/feed/050966Howlin insists: If Unions keep Croke Park agreements, we’ll keep ourshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/howlin-insists-if-unions-keep-croke-park-agreements-we%e2%80%99ll-keep-ours/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/howlin-insists-if-unions-keep-croke-park-agreements-we%e2%80%99ll-keep-ours/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 12:31:59 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50963“The Public Expenditure minister Brendan Howlin has affirmed that the government does not plan to defer increments due to lower-paid public servants – potentially re-opening conflict between the government parties …” (more)

[TheJournal.ie, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/howlin-insists-if-unions-keep-croke-park-agreements-we%e2%80%99ll-keep-ours/feed/050963Finch’s open-access cure may be ‘worse than the disease’http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/finchs-open-access-cure-may-be-worse-than-the-disease/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/finchs-open-access-cure-may-be-worse-than-the-disease/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 12:29:39 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50960“A move to full ‘gold’ open-access publishing will ‘cripple university systems’ by incurring large extra costs without significantly improving access to research, leading research universities have warned …” (more)

[Paul Jump, Times Higher Education, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/finchs-open-access-cure-may-be-worse-than-the-disease/feed/050960Driving to college is the most popular mode of travel for Irish studenthttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/driving-to-college-is-the-most-popular-mode-of-travel-for-irish-student/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/driving-to-college-is-the-most-popular-mode-of-travel-for-irish-student/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 10:58:57 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50957“Results from the last census are being released by the Central Statistics Office. There are lots of interesting numbers. This one today caught my eye …” (more)

[Kevin Denny: Economics more-or-less, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/driving-to-college-is-the-most-popular-mode-of-travel-for-irish-student/feed/05095720,000 out of work after university, figures showhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/20000-out-of-work-after-university-figures-show/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/20000-out-of-work-after-university-figures-show/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 10:57:05 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50954“More than 20,000 graduates were out of work after leaving university last year, while thousands more took jobs as labourers,cleaners and road sweepers, figures show …” (more)

[Alison Kershaw, Independent, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/20000-out-of-work-after-university-figures-show/feed/050954Ireland becoming anti-intellectual, academic editor sayshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/ireland-becoming-anti-intellectual-academic-editor-says/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/ireland-becoming-anti-intellectual-academic-editor-says/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 07:03:33 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50949“Intellectuals have been denigrated in recent years because of the increase in commercialisation and privatisation, an editor of a new book on the public intellectual in Irish society said yesterday …” (more)

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/ireland-becoming-anti-intellectual-academic-editor-says/feed/050949Quinn cites high student charge in response to call for feeshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/quinn-cites-high-student-charge-in-response-to-call-for-fees/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/quinn-cites-high-student-charge-in-response-to-call-for-fees/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 06:54:33 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50946“Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn has been urged to consider the full reintroduction of college fees. During Dáil question time Independent Wicklow TD Stephen Donnelly said funding had been cut by 18 per cent for each student since 2008 …” (more)

[Marie O’Halloran, Irish Times, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/quinn-cites-high-student-charge-in-response-to-call-for-fees/feed/050946By degreeshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/by-degrees/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/by-degrees/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 06:51:19 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50943“… Tom Boland emphatically states that ‘all the evidence shows that the higher the level of education a person has achieved, the more likely he or she is to gain employment’. Academics and universities are very fond of espousing this view. However, PhDs – even in the sciences – struggle to find long-term, meaningful employment …” (more)

[Desmond Nugent, Independent, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/by-degrees/feed/050943Wellcome Trust to penalise scientists who don’t embrace open accesshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/wellcome-trust-to-penalise-scientists-who-dont-embrace-open-access/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/wellcome-trust-to-penalise-scientists-who-dont-embrace-open-access/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 06:48:08 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50940“The Wellcome Trust plans to withhold a portion of grant money from scientists who do not make the results of their work freely available to the public, in a move that will embolden supporters of the growing open access movement …” (more)

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/backlash-over-girl-thing-science-video/feed/050937Music firms secure order on Eircom dealhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/music-firms-secure-order-on-eircom-deal/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/music-firms-secure-order-on-eircom-deal/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 06:43:46 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50934“Four music companies have secured a court order quashing a notice issued by the Data Protection Commissioner directing Eircom to stop implementing an agreement with them aimed at combating the illegal downloading of music …” (more)

[Irish Times, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/music-firms-secure-order-on-eircom-deal/feed/050934David Willetts: universities must learn from this investigationhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/david-willetts-universities-must-learn-from-this-investigation/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/david-willetts-universities-must-learn-from-this-investigation/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 06:41:37 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50931“The right of universities to choose their own students is enshrined in law. That is right. It protects the quality of our universities by stopping political meddling. It is no coincidence that they are both the most autonomous and the best in Europe …” (more)

[Daily Telegraph, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/david-willetts-universities-must-learn-from-this-investigation/feed/050931Want gold? Let’s see some cashhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/want-gold-lets-see-some-cash/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/want-gold-lets-see-some-cash/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 06:39:15 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50928“The move to open access should not mean cuts to research: the government and industry could pitch in to cover the transition …” (more)

[John Gill, Times Higher Education, 28 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/want-gold-lets-see-some-cash/feed/050928Oversteppinghttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/overstepping/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/overstepping/#respondThu, 28 Jun 2012 06:37:01 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50924“Two recent events in higher education have illustrated the tendency of decision makers outside of the university (i.e., not faculty, staff, or administrators) to overstep their mandates in controlling what happens within the university …” (more)

[Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/28/overstepping/feed/050924Campaigners call for wider libel reformhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/campaigners-call-for-wider-libel-reform/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/campaigners-call-for-wider-libel-reform/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 18:46:10 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50921“An array of science advocates descended on Britain’s parliament today to tell politicians that their attempts to fix Britain’s woeful libel laws were inadequate. In response to growing concerns that England’s laws make it easy for the rich and powerful to silence voices they dislike, drafts of a new law on defamation were released in May …” (more)

[Daniel Cressey, Nature News Blog, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/campaigners-call-for-wider-libel-reform/feed/050921Maps of Universitieshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/maps-of-universities/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/maps-of-universities/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 18:43:22 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50918“Visitors to universities are routinely given maps, maps which set out the campus in all its glory. These maps are usually both informative and rhetorical: after all part of their function is to produce a favorable gloss on the institution as well as providing directions …” (more)

[Nigel Thrift, Chronicle of Higher Education, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/maps-of-universities/feed/050918Maintenance Grants – Nationalityhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/maintenance-grants-nationality/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/maintenance-grants-nationality/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 15:09:12 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50915“Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the separate review of the nationality requirements in respect of third level maintenance support for students will be undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/maintenance-grants-nationality/feed/050915UK universities deny favouring overseas selectionhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/uk-universities-deny-favouring-overseas-selection/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/uk-universities-deny-favouring-overseas-selection/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 12:41:34 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50912“UK universities have rejected claims that home students are being displaced by potentially more lucrative overseas students with lower grades …” (more)

[BBC News, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/uk-universities-deny-favouring-overseas-selection/feed/050912Why the Leaving Cert is broken … by someone who just took ithttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/why-the-leaving-cert-is-broken-%e2%80%a6-by-someone-who-just-took-it/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/why-the-leaving-cert-is-broken-%e2%80%a6-by-someone-who-just-took-it/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 11:59:04 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50909“… Isn’t it strange that we spend two years in preparation for this exam, and yet the bulk of the marks are obtained in a two or three-hour sitting? Can somebody explain the logic? Because for me, there is none. And as long as this ridiculous system continues, students will learn off answers. What else can they do? …” (more)

[Patrick Kelleher, TheJournal.ie, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/why-the-leaving-cert-is-broken-%e2%80%a6-by-someone-who-just-took-it/feed/050909Erasmus Students Find Dublin Friendly and Lively but Expensivehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/erasmus-students-find-dublin-friendly-and-lively-but-expensive/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/erasmus-students-find-dublin-friendly-and-lively-but-expensive/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 10:46:19 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50906“A survey of Erasmus Higher Education students in the greater Dublin area has found that 92% of them enjoyed the experience and would come back on holidays. They cite the friendliness of Irish people, the cultural experience and improvement in English as the most positive aspects of their experience while the weather and the cost of living as the most negative aspects …” (more)

[EURIreland, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/erasmus-students-find-dublin-friendly-and-lively-but-expensive/feed/050906Finch Report: the question of costshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/finch-report-the-question-of-costs/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/finch-report-the-question-of-costs/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 10:44:00 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50903“Last week, having quickly digested the executive summary of the Finch Report on open access OA, I told you it was complicated. I’ve now read the report in its entirety, along with a large swathes of blogospheric commentary. I’m still decidedly of the view that it’s complicated but I wanted to think through some of the initial responses …” (more)

[Stephen Curry, Reciprocal Space, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/finch-report-the-question-of-costs/feed/050903England’s top judge to hear appeal in ‘Twitter joke trial’http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/england%e2%80%99s-top-judge-to-hear-appeal-in-%e2%80%98twitter-joke-trial%e2%80%99/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/england%e2%80%99s-top-judge-to-hear-appeal-in-%e2%80%98twitter-joke-trial%e2%80%99/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 09:19:12 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50900“A British accountant who jokingly tweeted that he would blow an airport ‘sky high’ when weather threatened to disrupt his travel plans will today have his appeal heard by the most senior judge in England and Wales …” (more)

[TheJournal.ie, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/england%e2%80%99s-top-judge-to-hear-appeal-in-%e2%80%98twitter-joke-trial%e2%80%99/feed/050900Rivalries set aside as colleges pool talenthttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/rivalries-set-aside-as-colleges-pool-talent/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/rivalries-set-aside-as-colleges-pool-talent/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 07:09:09 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50890“Three third-level colleges are pooling their strengths to become a new force in higher education. A collaboration between Dublin City University (DCU), NUI Maynooth (NUIM), and Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) will be known as the 3U Partnership …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/rivalries-set-aside-as-colleges-pool-talent/feed/050890Colleges join forces for academic gainhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/colleges-join-forces-for-academic-gain/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/colleges-join-forces-for-academic-gain/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 07:07:09 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50887“Three third-level institutions in the Dublin area have joined to establish a formal partnership to enhance co-operation in the development of academic programmes in research and education. It should lead to an unprecedented level of linkage between the ‘3U Partnership’ which includes Dublin City University, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and NUI Maynooth …” (more)

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/cost-benefit-analysis-of-library-merger-urged/feed/050884Third-level link-up goes far beyond research co-operationhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/third-level-link-up-goes-far-beyond-research-co-operation/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/third-level-link-up-goes-far-beyond-research-co-operation/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 07:01:22 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50881“Academic bodies aim to integrate resources and share expertise but also retain individual identity. The 3U Partnership that will link three of Dublin’s third-level institutions is expected to be much more than a research collaboration …” (more)

[Dick Ahlstrom, Irish Times, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/third-level-link-up-goes-far-beyond-research-co-operation/feed/050881Academics against abolition of Seanadhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/academics-against-abolition-of-seanad/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/academics-against-abolition-of-seanad/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 06:59:13 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50878“It was bad news for the Taoiseach that not even one member of a panel of international experts had supported his position on the future of the Seanad, David Norris (Ind) said …” (more)

[Jimmy Walsh, Irish Times, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/academics-against-abolition-of-seanad/feed/050878Pupils’ academic reports to be sharedhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/pupils-academic-reports-to-be-shared/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/pupils-academic-reports-to-be-shared/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 06:56:35 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50875“Second-level schools will receive a full report card on all new entrants under new rules announced by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn. The new ‘education passport’, which details a child’s academic record at primary school, will also be made available to parents from September …” (more)

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/science-its-a-girl-thing-but-i%e2%80%99ll-keep-my-adjustable-spanner/feed/050872Trio of third-level institutions to form partnership on education and researchhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/trio-of-third-level-institutions-to-form-partnership-on-education-and-research/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/trio-of-third-level-institutions-to-form-partnership-on-education-and-research/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 06:40:38 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50869“Three of Ireland’s leading third-level institutions are to collaborate on providing new postgraduate courses, research possibilities and attracting foreign students. The partnership between NUI Maynooth, Dublin City University (DCU), and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) will build on the success of major collaborative projects between the colleges …” (more)

[Vincent Ryan, Irish Examiner, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/trio-of-third-level-institutions-to-form-partnership-on-education-and-research/feed/050869Croke Park deal means increments argument will always get ignoredhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/croke-park-deal-means-increments-argument-will-always-get-ignored/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/croke-park-deal-means-increments-argument-will-always-get-ignored/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 06:38:21 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50866“The Government would appear to have two choices — continue to pay public service increments of €180m or look for some other way of completing the €3.5bn in savings sought through the Croke Park deal. Transport Minister Leo Varadkar’s suggestion earlier this week that the increments be deferred for a year reignited a debate that raged just before last year’s budget …” (more)

[Stephen Rogers, Irish Examiner, 27 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/croke-park-deal-means-increments-argument-will-always-get-ignored/feed/050866Science: It’s a girl thing! Statement from members of the gender expert advisory grouphttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/science-it%e2%80%99s-a-girl-thing-statement-from-members-of-the-gender-expert-advisory-group/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/science-it%e2%80%99s-a-girl-thing-statement-from-members-of-the-gender-expert-advisory-group/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 06:34:55 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50862“Science: It’s a girl thing! That’s the name of the campaign launched last week by the European Commission. The campaign has a website with many online resources that will be followed up with activities in various Member States. Included in the launch was a teaser video designed to ‘go viral’ and attract attention to the campaign …” (more)

[Curt Rice, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/science-it%e2%80%99s-a-girl-thing-statement-from-members-of-the-gender-expert-advisory-group/feed/050862Elsevier welcomes the Finch reporthttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/elsevier-welcomes-the-finch-report/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/elsevier-welcomes-the-finch-report/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 06:31:43 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50859“Elsevier welcomes the Finch Report on broadening access to academic research. We are glad that so many members of the academic community – universities, funders, libraries, scholarly societies, and publishers – have been able to collaborate constructively to find a way forward …” (more)

[Alicia Wise, Research Blogs, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/elsevier-welcomes-the-finch-report/feed/050859A place at university guaranteed or your money backhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/a-place-at-university-guaranteed-or-your-money-back/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/a-place-at-university-guaranteed-or-your-money-back/#respondWed, 27 Jun 2012 06:28:39 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50855“Three C grades won’t be a problem to study in Britain, says firm that charges up to £2,000. ‘Success rate is 100%’, boasted the senior executive at Golden Arrow Consulting within minutes of meeting another prospective client in the firm’s increasingly busy Beijing offices …” (more)

[Holly Watt and others, Daily Telegraph, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/27/a-place-at-university-guaranteed-or-your-money-back/feed/050855FF motion against merging of cultural institutionshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/ff-motion-against-merging-of-cultural-institutions/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/ff-motion-against-merging-of-cultural-institutions/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 19:54:05 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50848“Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has told the Dáil that although his party had set in motion the mergers of certain cultural institutions, he says he was personally against that plan …” (more)

[RTÉ News, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/ff-motion-against-merging-of-cultural-institutions/feed/050848Leading colleges form research partnershiphttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/leading-colleges-form-research-partnership/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/leading-colleges-form-research-partnership/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 14:13:03 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50845“Three of Ireland’s largest third-level institutions have formed a collaborative partnership to work on the development of academic programmes, research, education and internationalisation. The 3U Partnership involving NUI Maynooth, Dublin City University (DCU) and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) was announced by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn this afternoon …” (more)

[Ciara Kenny, Irish Times, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/leading-colleges-form-research-partnership/feed/050845Academic impact isn’t just about answers – let’s start with debatehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/academic-impact-isnt-just-about-answers-lets-start-with-debate/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/academic-impact-isnt-just-about-answers-lets-start-with-debate/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 13:57:59 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50842“This autumn brings a profound transformation to academia in the UK; not just the first real effects of the changes to English university funding, but also the UK pilot for the 2014 REF submissions system …” (more)

[Andreas Liefooghe, Guardian Professional, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/academic-impact-isnt-just-about-answers-lets-start-with-debate/feed/050842Universities to ‘deliver more with less’ by pooling resourceshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/universities-to-deliver-more-with-less-by-pooling-resources/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/universities-to-deliver-more-with-less-by-pooling-resources/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 12:24:10 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50838“Three universities are to come together and pool resources in a bid to create greater global research projects …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/universities-to-deliver-more-with-less-by-pooling-resources/feed/050838Taoiseach launches 3U Partnership to help Irish Universities ‘compete more effectively on the global stage’http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/taoiseach-launches-3u-partnership-to-help-irish-universities-compete-more-effectively-on-the-global-stage/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/taoiseach-launches-3u-partnership-to-help-irish-universities-compete-more-effectively-on-the-global-stage/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 12:16:02 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50834“An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD and Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn TD announced on Tuesday details of the 3U Partnership – a major collaboration between NUI Maynooth, Dublin City University (DCU) and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) …” (more)

[Fergal Gallagher, Digital Times, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/taoiseach-launches-3u-partnership-to-help-irish-universities-compete-more-effectively-on-the-global-stage/feed/050834The Academic Jungle: Ecosystem Model Reveals Why Women Are Driven out of Sciencehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/the-academic-jungle-ecosystem-model-reveals-why-women-are-driven-out-of-science/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/the-academic-jungle-ecosystem-model-reveals-why-women-are-driven-out-of-science/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 11:21:00 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50831“Understanding how a species battles to sustain itself in a challenging habitat is a cornerstone of ecological research; now scientists have applied this approach to science itself to discover why women are being driven out of academia …” (more)

[AlphaGalileo, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/the-academic-jungle-ecosystem-model-reveals-why-women-are-driven-out-of-science/feed/050831Government Would Be Mad to Throw Away Croke Park Progress and Productivityhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/government-would-be-mad-to-throw-away-croke-park-progress-and-productivity/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/government-would-be-mad-to-throw-away-croke-park-progress-and-productivity/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 09:25:28 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50828“The General Secretary of the INTO Sheila Nunan said today that government would be mad to throw away the progress and productivity that the Croke Park Agreement continues to deliver. She said primary teachers have kept the terms of the agreement and fully expect government to continue to meet its commitments …” (more)

[Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/government-would-be-mad-to-throw-away-croke-park-progress-and-productivity/feed/050828European Commission hides controversial ‘Science: It’s a Girl Thing!’ videohttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/european-commission-hides-controversial-science-it%e2%80%99s-a-girl-thing%e2%80%99-video/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/european-commission-hides-controversial-science-it%e2%80%99s-a-girl-thing%e2%80%99-video/#commentsTue, 26 Jun 2012 09:16:26 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50825“Following a severe public backlash, the European Commission has been forced to recall the ‘Science: It’s a Girl Thing!’ promotional video it had released last week as part of its campaign to promote more teenage girls to pursue a career in science …” (more)

[Carmel Doyle, Silicon Republic, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/european-commission-hides-controversial-science-it%e2%80%99s-a-girl-thing%e2%80%99-video/feed/150825Time to review peer reviewhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/time-to-review-peer-review/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/time-to-review-peer-review/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 08:11:58 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50822“Standard lore has it that scientific results are supposed to be published in academic journals before they are even worth discussing. These publications use a ‘peer-review’ system to determine the validity of a paper …” (more)

[Andrew Pontzen, Big Wide World, 21 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/time-to-review-peer-review/feed/050822Coalition rift over Croke Park pacthttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/coalition-rift-over-croke-park-pact/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/coalition-rift-over-croke-park-pact/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 07:00:28 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50819“Divisions have surfaced between the Government parties over the Croke Park deal after Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore of Labour rejected demands from two Fine Gael Ministers for key elements of the agreement to be scrapped …” (more)

[Martin Wall and Arthur Beesley, Irish Times, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/coalition-rift-over-croke-park-pact/feed/050819Tensions mount over Varadkar’s plan to stop annual public sector pay riseshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/tensions-mount-over-varadkars-plan-to-stop-annual-public-sector-pay-rises/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/tensions-mount-over-varadkars-plan-to-stop-annual-public-sector-pay-rises/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 06:57:34 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50815“Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore gave Transport Minister Leo Varadkar a severe dressing-down last night as tensions mounted within the coalition parties over public sector pay. The underlying differences between Fine Gael and the Labour Party on the public sector were highlighted …” (more)

[Fionnan Sheahan and others, Independent, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/tensions-mount-over-varadkars-plan-to-stop-annual-public-sector-pay-rises/feed/050815Unions say cutting overtime is breach of Croke Park dealhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/unions-say-cutting-overtime-is-breach-of-croke-park-deal/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/unions-say-cutting-overtime-is-breach-of-croke-park-deal/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 06:55:08 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50812“Trade unions have warned the Government that any move to cut overtime or premium pay rates or to defer increments would represent a breach of the Croke Park agreement …” (more)

[Martin Wall, Irish Times, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/unions-say-cutting-overtime-is-breach-of-croke-park-deal/feed/050812Medical students: ‘No option but to emigrate’http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/medical-students-%e2%80%98no-option-but-to-emigrate%e2%80%99/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/medical-students-%e2%80%98no-option-but-to-emigrate%e2%80%99/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 06:52:41 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50809“The majority of medical students graduating this year want to stay working in Ireland but believe they will have little alternative than to move overseas, according to a survey …” (more)

[Noel Baker, Irish Examiner, 26 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/medical-students-%e2%80%98no-option-but-to-emigrate%e2%80%99/feed/050809No news is good newshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/no-news-is-good-news/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/no-news-is-good-news/#respondTue, 26 Jun 2012 06:50:31 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50806“I have previously in this blog suggested that, on the whole, universities do not understand what use to make of their websites. Most of these are poorly designed, are excessively busy, confuse the visitor with complex navigation …” (more)

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/26/new-orders-peter-hook-launches-music-industry-degree/feed/050803Unions warn against public-sector pay reductionshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/unions-warn-against-public-sector-pay-reductions/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/unions-warn-against-public-sector-pay-reductions/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 16:20:55 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50800“… SIPTU said it would resist cuts to premium pay and overtime for health service workers, while IMPACT said any deferral of increments would breach the Croke Park agreement and hit low-paid workers hardest …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/unions-warn-against-public-sector-pay-reductions/feed/050800Future proofing the artshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/future-proofing-the-arts/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/future-proofing-the-arts/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 13:27:44 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50797“On May 24th last, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) announced it intended to appoint an international panel to review the provision of third-level creative arts education in Dublin …” (more)

[Aidan Dunne, Irish Times, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/future-proofing-the-arts/feed/050797‘Gay-friendly’ universities highlighted in Stonewall guidehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/%e2%80%98gay-friendly%e2%80%99-universities-highlighted-in-stonewall-guide/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/%e2%80%98gay-friendly%e2%80%99-universities-highlighted-in-stonewall-guide/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 11:47:55 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50794“Stonewall, the equality charity, has published its latest guide to the universities it considers to have the most gay-friendly policies and support for students. The Gay By Degree guide rates universities on a list of 10 criteria …” (more)

[David Matthews, Times Higher Education, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/%e2%80%98gay-friendly%e2%80%99-universities-highlighted-in-stonewall-guide/feed/050794The Sexist Ad from The EU Commission: The Female Scientist’s Perspectivehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/the-sexist-ad-from-the-eu-commission-the-female-scientist%e2%80%99s-perspective/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/the-sexist-ad-from-the-eu-commission-the-female-scientist%e2%80%99s-perspective/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 11:06:52 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50791“There’s definitely a time and a place for a video released as an attempt by the EU Commission to get more girls into science. The time for ‘Science: It’s A Girl Thing’, a 53-second cringe featuring overly-sexualised minors strutting around in safety goggles and minidresses and salivating over how bubbling flasks and chemical formulas always lead to neon make-up is never, and the place is nowhere …” (more)

[Tea and Toast, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/the-sexist-ad-from-the-eu-commission-the-female-scientist%e2%80%99s-perspective/feed/050791Varadkar: Hard to justify public sector pay incrementshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/varadkar-hard-to-justify-public-sector-pay-increments/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/varadkar-hard-to-justify-public-sector-pay-increments/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 09:42:05 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50788“The Transport Minister Leo Varadkar has said public sector pay increments should be deferred, despite the fact that they are protected under the Croke Park Agreement …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/varadkar-hard-to-justify-public-sector-pay-increments/feed/050788What does austerity mean for Greek universities?http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/what-does-austerity-mean-for-greek-universities/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/what-does-austerity-mean-for-greek-universities/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 09:40:27 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50785“Austerity has hit Greek universities in many ways: University budgets (excluding salaries) have been slashed by more than 50%, leading to serious problems (lack of heating, lack of funding for basic needs). Funding for adjunct faculty has been reduced by almost 70% leading to hundreds of lay-offs …” (more)

[Kostas Skordoulis, Education Activist Network, 24 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/what-does-austerity-mean-for-greek-universities/feed/050785Dissertation for Sale: A Cautionary Talehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/dissertation-for-sale-a-cautionary-tale/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/dissertation-for-sale-a-cautionary-tale/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 09:38:23 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50782“A Google search brought me to a link to BarnesandNoble.com, where with one click I soon discovered that my dissertation was being sold. It took a minute of staring at the computer screen to fully accept that my work could be purchased for (at the time) $32.34 as an eTextbook for the Nook reader …” (more)

[Manuel R Torres, Chronicle of Higher Education, 24 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/dissertation-for-sale-a-cautionary-tale/feed/050782Student’s funeral takes place todayhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/students-funeral-takes-place-today/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/students-funeral-takes-place-today/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 07:41:24 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50777“The funeral of 21-year-old Co Wicklow student James Nolan, who died after he fell into a river in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, takes place today …” (more)

[Irish Times, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/students-funeral-takes-place-today/feed/050777Call for minister to stop extradition of British studenthttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/call-for-minister-to-stop-extradition-of-british-student/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/call-for-minister-to-stop-extradition-of-british-student/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 07:38:06 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50774“Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has made a rare political intervention to call on UK home affairs minister Theresa May to stop the extradition of British student Richard O’Dwyer to the US for alleged copyright offences …” (more)

[James Ball, Irish Times, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/call-for-minister-to-stop-extradition-of-british-student/feed/050774State’s chief scientific adviser prepares to step down after rich achievementshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/states-chief-scientific-adviser-prepares-to-step-down-after-rich-achievements/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/states-chief-scientific-adviser-prepares-to-step-down-after-rich-achievements/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 07:34:51 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50771“The government has benefited from having a chief scientific adviser even if Cabinet members haven’t beaten a path to his door. And while the expertise Prof Patrick Cunningham has provided over the past five years was only infrequently tapped, he provided reports and position papers on a range of controversial issues …” (more)

[Dick Ahlstrom, Irish Times, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/states-chief-scientific-adviser-prepares-to-step-down-after-rich-achievements/feed/050771Croke Park deal a likely casualty of HSE overspendhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/croke-park-deal-a-likely-casualty-of-hse-overspend/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/croke-park-deal-a-likely-casualty-of-hse-overspend/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 07:28:29 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50767“There is growing concern in Government at the scale of the financial problems that have emerged in the health services over recent months and on how these should be addressed …” (more)

[Martin Wall, Irish Times, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/croke-park-deal-a-likely-casualty-of-hse-overspend/feed/050767The overpayments dispute: Winning the battle but losing the warhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/the-overpayments-dispute-winning-the-battle-but-losing-the-war/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/the-overpayments-dispute-winning-the-battle-but-losing-the-war/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 07:26:30 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50761The universities appear to have got off relatively lightly from the overpayments debacle. No money need be repaid, either by the individuals who benefited or by the universities which paid them. However, the universities must now allocate equivalent amounts ‘directed towards improving student services and specific new innovations in front line services’, the policing of which lies with the Department and the HEA.

Like all settlements, it reflects the strengths and weaknesses of each side’s case, and the benefits each gain from drawing a line under the matter (on the legal issues see here). The government had a strong, though not absolutely watertight, case that the payments were illegal; but their demands for repayment were always legally weak, whether they meant repayment by universities or repayment by the recipients. Besides, any recovery would certainly have impacted on student services, and it would have been hard for the government to maintain that this was the universities’ fault rather than theirs. The university management teams, for their part, will be pleased to have ended a semi-public spectacle from which they were never going to emerge smelling of roses whatever individual battles they won or lost. Neither side would have seen any gain in pushing the matter before a judge, who would no doubt rule (expensively) that each side was in some respects in the wrong.

Both sides, then, will be glad that a firm result has been reached. But the entire episode represents a major defeat for universities in their struggle to maintain autonomy from government. The bad publicity the matter has generated will linger for years, far out of proportion to the amounts of money involved. The image of universities as irresponsible, privileged and wasteful will be a standing rebuke to anyone who argues that they deserve greater freedom. It is the soundbites which will linger. Róisín Shortall’s misunderstanding of the concept of ‘contact hours’, which lead her to suggest that Irish academics typically work only 15 hours a week, was never corrected – for all the public knows, she still believes that. And Tom Boland’s rhetorical question of ‘what part of “NO” did UCD not understand’ is still quoted, impervious to the simple retort that UCD were never firmly told ‘No’. The truth is that dealings between the HEA and the universities were on a different footing then. The HEA did not then say ‘No’ unless it was sure it was on sure ground, which it was not. Whereas today, the HEA fears for its own existence, which it can only justify to government by saying ‘No’ on a regular basis, whatever question it is asked.

Long term, the consequences are all bad for universities. The politicians are now queuing up to explain how bad they have been. Daniel McConnell serves up several quotes, some attributed and some not, that the universities were ‘bang out of line’, that what they have done was ‘a flagrant breach of the rules’, there ‘there should be penalties’ and that the settlement is an ’embarrassing climbdown’. The rather obvious fact that taking money back from universities harms their students is portrayed as some perverted kind of hostage situation. Party warfare continues: Ruairi Quinn reminds everyone that ‘these overpayments happened on the previous Government’s watch’, Brendan Smith insists that the government ‘should be taking stronger action’ (a safe thing to say if no-one asks him for details). Other obvious candidates for blame are let off: ‘Mr Quinn retained confidence in the HEA despite its failure to spot the payments over several years’. Why?

No university ever became great, or retained its status as great, by doing what it was told by government regulators. If Irish universities do well, it will be despite this settlement, which leaves the universities on the back foot in reversing the current slide towards micro-management of their activities, by politicians and civil servants with no real interest in what universities actually do. The universities have won this battle, but the war has not gone away.

— The Blogmeister

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/the-overpayments-dispute-winning-the-battle-but-losing-the-war/feed/050761The Real Threat to the Humanitieshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/the-real-threat-to-the-humanities/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/the-real-threat-to-the-humanities/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 07:15:55 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50758“To anyone who takes higher education seriously this is all pretty horrifying. If you have to defend the Classics, or any other academic discipline, on the grounds of profitability or immediate practical usefulness then the battle has already been lost. Profit and practicality are not what college is about. Exactly the opposite, in fact …” (more)

[Jason Rosenhouse, EvolutionBlog, 24 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/the-real-threat-to-the-humanities/feed/050758University ranking rankles: playing the prestige gamehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/university-ranking-rankles-playing-the-prestige-game/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/university-ranking-rankles-playing-the-prestige-game/#respondMon, 25 Jun 2012 07:12:48 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50754“Australian universities compete with providers all over the globe. The stakes are high and it is hard to ignore world rankings. In The Conversation recently, however, University of Southern Queensland’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jan Thomas, questioned the value of rankings locally, and outlined why her university steers clear of rankings altogether …” (more)

[Robert Nelson, The Conversation, 25 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/25/university-ranking-rankles-playing-the-prestige-game/feed/050754DCU gets €5m to investigate violent political extremism onlinehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/dcu-gets-e5m-to-investigate-violent-political-extremism-online/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/dcu-gets-e5m-to-investigate-violent-political-extremism-online/#respondSun, 24 Jun 2012 19:38:21 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50751“Dublin City University has been given €5 million in European funding to head up a major international research project into violent political extremism on the internet …” (more)

[TheJournal.ie, 24 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/dcu-gets-e5m-to-investigate-violent-political-extremism-online/feed/050751What is going on inner circles SFIhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/what-is-going-on-inner-circles-sfi/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/what-is-going-on-inner-circles-sfi/#respondSun, 24 Jun 2012 19:36:10 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50748“In the last number of weeks I have been digging in relation to the newly appointed head of SFI Professor Mark Ferguson. What I have found – seems to be slightly hidden from the Irish taxpayers. It is very subtle but yet constructive …” (more)

[Brian Flannery, Indymedia Ireland, 20 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/what-is-going-on-inner-circles-sfi/feed/050748Top-up pay for college staff won’t be handed back to Statehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/top-up-pay-for-college-staff-wont-be-handed-back-to-state/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/top-up-pay-for-college-staff-wont-be-handed-back-to-state/#respondSun, 24 Jun 2012 09:06:44 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50744“Universities who paid out €8m in unauthorised payments to senior staff will not be penalised or have to pay the money back to the State, despite them being ‘bang out of line’, it has emerged …” (more)

[Daniel McConnell, Independent, 24 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/top-up-pay-for-college-staff-wont-be-handed-back-to-state/feed/050744Last ditch talks to save university’s student barhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/last-ditch-talks-to-save-universitys-student-bar/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/last-ditch-talks-to-save-universitys-student-bar/#respondSun, 24 Jun 2012 09:01:15 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50741“UCD Student Club – once Ireland’s busiest bar – has losses of almost €100,000 and is set to close by the end of this month, unless radical cost saving measures can be agreed within days. High-level talks are to resume next Wednesday in a last minute effort to save the legendary bar, but if no resolution is found by the end of this month, it will be closed down …” (more)

[Daniel McConnell, Independent, 24 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/last-ditch-talks-to-save-universitys-student-bar/feed/050741Students protest at ‘racist’ supervisorhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/students-protest-at-racist-supervisor/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/students-protest-at-racist-supervisor/#respondSun, 24 Jun 2012 08:59:10 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50738“A Cambridge University academic came under pressure to resign last night after students protested that he operates a website that features Nazi imagery, describes female immigrants as ‘exotic fruit’ and claims that black people are ‘impulsive’, with lower IQs than other races …” (more)

[Sanchez Manning, Independent, 24 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/students-protest-at-racist-supervisor/feed/050738Research elite warns against obsessive ‘bean-counting’ culturehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/research-elite-warns-against-obsessive-%e2%80%98bean-counting%e2%80%99-culture/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/research-elite-warns-against-obsessive-%e2%80%98bean-counting%e2%80%99-culture/#respondSun, 24 Jun 2012 08:56:20 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50734“The growth of research assessment driven by obsessive measurement and monitoring fosters a global ‘bean-counting culture’ in tertiary education that can detract from the real quality of university research, experts have warned …” (more)

[David Haworth, University World News, 24 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/research-elite-warns-against-obsessive-%e2%80%98bean-counting%e2%80%99-culture/feed/050734Rankings don’t tell the whole story – Handle them with carehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/rankings-dont-tell-the-whole-story-%e2%80%93-handle-them-with-care/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/rankings-dont-tell-the-whole-story-%e2%80%93-handle-them-with-care/#respondSun, 24 Jun 2012 08:53:53 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50731“In Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently signed an order awarding official recognition to degrees from 210 leading universities from 25 countries – determined in large part by their presence in Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities produced by Shanghai Jiao Tong University …” (more)

[Phil Baty, University World News, 24 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/rankings-dont-tell-the-whole-story-%e2%80%93-handle-them-with-care/feed/050731Two universities from the east among five winning elite statushttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/two-universities-from-the-east-among-five-winning-elite-status/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/two-universities-from-the-east-among-five-winning-elite-status/#respondSun, 24 Jun 2012 08:51:33 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50728“Five additional German institutions can now call themselves ‘elite universities’, among them Humboldt University in Berlin and the University of Dresden, both in what used to be East Germany …” (more)

[Michael Gardner, University World News, 24 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/24/two-universities-from-the-east-among-five-winning-elite-status/feed/050728DCU deputy-president voted in Ireland’s Top 25 most powerful womenhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/dcu-deputy-president-voted-in-ireland%e2%80%99s-top-25-most-powerful-women/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/dcu-deputy-president-voted-in-ireland%e2%80%99s-top-25-most-powerful-women/#respondSat, 23 Jun 2012 21:32:17 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50725“DCU’s Deputy President (Registrar), Anne Scott, was recently named one of Ireland’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women at an awards ceremony in the Convention Centre Dublin. Professor Scott was one of three winners of the Public Sector Leaders Award …” (more)

[Aisling Kett, The College View, 23 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/dcu-deputy-president-voted-in-ireland%e2%80%99s-top-25-most-powerful-women/feed/050725Overtly ‘girly’ scientists alienate potential studentshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/overtly-girly-scientists-alienate-potential-students/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/overtly-girly-scientists-alienate-potential-students/#respondSat, 23 Jun 2012 08:28:12 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50718“It probably sounded like a good idea late at night in a Brussels basement where some desperate folk from the European Union’s Research and Innovation promo team were holed up on a mission to ‘get more girls into science’ …” (more)

[Liz Else, New Scientist, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/overtly-girly-scientists-alienate-potential-students/feed/050718Science ‘girl thing’ video sparks backlashhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/science-girl-thing-video-sparks-backlash/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/science-girl-thing-video-sparks-backlash/#respondSat, 23 Jun 2012 08:24:36 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50714“A European Commission campaign designed to attract more women to a career in science has been met with a public backlash after launching with a promotional video featuring young women in stilettos and short skirts against a pink background and flashing images of lipstick, nail polish and other cosmetics …” (more)

[Marie Boran, Irish Times, 23 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/science-girl-thing-video-sparks-backlash/feed/050714Mitchell grants in doubt as US withdraws fundshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/mitchell-grants-in-doubt-as-us-withdraws-funds/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/mitchell-grants-in-doubt-as-us-withdraws-funds/#respondSat, 23 Jun 2012 08:22:07 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50711“Doubts have emerged about the future of one of the most praised initiatives to come out of the Belfast Agreement following a decision by the US state department to withdraw funding from the George Mitchell scholarship programme …” (more)

[Harry McGee, Irish Times, 23 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/mitchell-grants-in-doubt-as-us-withdraws-funds/feed/050711How not to encourage girls to study sciencehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/how-not-to-encourage-girls-to-study-science/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/how-not-to-encourage-girls-to-study-science/#respondSat, 23 Jun 2012 08:19:58 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50708“What were they thinking? It really beggars belied that a whole host of people in the EU Commission got it so wrong. Of course, I’m talking about THAT video …” (more)

[Eoin Lettice, Communicate Science, 23 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/how-not-to-encourage-girls-to-study-science/feed/050708Missing points proposalshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/missing-points-proposals/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/missing-points-proposals/#respondSat, 23 Jun 2012 08:17:34 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50705“Sir, – I was somewhat bemused to read the criticisms of Irish university presidents for ‘for their delay in bringing forward new proposals on the points system’ (Front Page, June 13th) …” (more)

[Steven Schwartz, Irish Times, 23 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/missing-points-proposals/feed/050705Paper an ‘encouragement’ for study of applied mathshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/paper-an-%e2%80%98encouragement%e2%80%99-for-study-of-applied-maths/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/paper-an-%e2%80%98encouragement%e2%80%99-for-study-of-applied-maths/#respondSat, 23 Jun 2012 08:15:19 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50702“The applied maths paper taken by more than 1,500 higher-level Leaving Certificate students was an encouragement for others to pursue the subject. This was the view of Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) subject spokesman Christy Maginn …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 23 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/paper-an-%e2%80%98encouragement%e2%80%99-for-study-of-applied-maths/feed/050702Trinity students take chance to shinehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/trinity-students-take-chance-to-shine/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/trinity-students-take-chance-to-shine/#respondSat, 23 Jun 2012 08:13:18 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50699“Lynn Ruane (27), from Killinarden in Tallaght, is a single parent of two girls aged 12 and five. She dropped out of school when she became pregnant at 15, but next September she will begin a degree in philosophy, political science, economics and sociology at Trinity College Dublin …” (more)

[Ciara Kenny, Irish Times, 23 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/trinity-students-take-chance-to-shine/feed/050699Online education has teachers conflictedhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/online-education-has-teachers-conflicted/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/online-education-has-teachers-conflicted/#respondSat, 23 Jun 2012 08:11:27 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50696“When the University of California dangled a $30,000 incentive to thousands of professors in 2010 inviting them to create UC-worthy online courses, just 70 responded, and only a few classes materialized …” (more)

[Nanette Asimov, SFGate, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/online-education-has-teachers-conflicted/feed/050696Will you be found out if you lie on your CV?http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/will-you-be-found-out-if-you-lie-on-your-cv/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/will-you-be-found-out-if-you-lie-on-your-cv/#respondSat, 23 Jun 2012 08:09:14 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50693“Lying on your CV about your qualifications is becoming more widespread in a tough jobs market. Now a new online service could find you out …” (more)

[Mark King, Guardian, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/23/will-you-be-found-out-if-you-lie-on-your-cv/feed/050693Harsh Reviews for European Commission Video Aimed at Closing Science Gender Gaphttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/harsh-reviews-for-european-commission-video-aimed-at-closing-science-gender-gap/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/harsh-reviews-for-european-commission-video-aimed-at-closing-science-gender-gap/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 22:16:49 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50689“Science, technology, math and engineering fields suffer from a troubling gender gap, many experts argue. The European Commission (EC), for example, reports that fewer than 32% of Europe’s career researchers are women. But the EC is taking a lot of flak for its latest attempt to close that gap, a campaign launched on Thursday called ‘Science: It’s a Girl Thing’ …” (more)

[Meghna Sachdev, ScienceInsider, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/harsh-reviews-for-european-commission-video-aimed-at-closing-science-gender-gap/feed/050689Saving Latin from the Tory Partyhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/saving-latin-from-the-tory-party/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/saving-latin-from-the-tory-party/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 21:27:13 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50685“For me, one of worst effects of the Michael Gove education agenda, with its stress on traditional skills, is that it tends to make Latin look as if it is the favourite subject of the radical right wing …” (more)

[Mary Beard, A Don’s Life, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/saving-latin-from-the-tory-party/feed/050685Comment is Free, but Not Necessarily Sensiblehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/comment-is-free-but-not-necessarily-sensible/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/comment-is-free-but-not-necessarily-sensible/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 20:58:53 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50682“Just as I was leaving my office at the end of last week’s typically frenetic activities, I was caught on the phone with an invitation to write a Comment is Free piece on women in science for last Sunday’s Observer …” (more)

[Athene Donald’s Blog, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/comment-is-free-but-not-necessarily-sensible/feed/050682Thousands of European students ‘failing to repay loans’http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/thousands-of-european-students-failing-to-repay-loans/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/thousands-of-european-students-failing-to-repay-loans/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 20:55:16 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50679“Thousands of foreign students handed taxpayer-backed loans to study at British universities are failing to make repayments – leaving a multi-million pound hole in Government finances …” (more)

[Graeme Paton, Daily Telegraph, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/thousands-of-european-students-failing-to-repay-loans/feed/050679President Obama comments on College Affordabilityhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/president-obama-comments-on-college-affordability/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/president-obama-comments-on-college-affordability/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 20:52:56 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50676“President Obama has commented publicly on college affordability, noting that college attendance has never been more important for US citizens, as those with a college degree earn twice as much on average as those without a high school diploma and have half the unemployment rate …” (more)

[SD Lawrence, Education News, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/president-obama-comments-on-college-affordability/feed/050676Why ‘Pinkifying’ Science Does More Harm Than Goodhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/why-pinkifying-science-does-more-harm-than-good/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/why-pinkifying-science-does-more-harm-than-good/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 20:50:01 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50673“It’s a tough fight, trying to keep girls and women interested in and doing science. So it’s extremely sad when a well meaning campaign makes the entire scientific community sick to its collective stomach. I present to you: ‘Science, it’s a Girl Thing!’ …” (more)

[Skepchick, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/why-pinkifying-science-does-more-harm-than-good/feed/050673A Bigger EU Research Budget? Don’t Count On It Yethttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/a-bigger-eu-research-budget-dont-count-on-it-yet/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/a-bigger-eu-research-budget-dont-count-on-it-yet/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 17:37:02 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50669“European researchers should be cautious about their hopes for a big budget boost under Horizon 2020, several observers told a meeting here yesterday. Financial constraints among EU member states could shrink the proposed €80bn budget to €60bn or even less …” (more)

[Gretchen Vogel, ScienceInsider, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/a-bigger-eu-research-budget-dont-count-on-it-yet/feed/050669Could ebooks be the future for university libraries?http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/could-ebooks-be-the-future-for-university-libraries/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/could-ebooks-be-the-future-for-university-libraries/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 17:16:02 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50666“Sarah Emily Duff makes the case for using ebooks to carry out academic research …” (more)

[Guardian Professional, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/could-ebooks-be-the-future-for-university-libraries/feed/050666Science: It’s a girl thing – Excuse me while I die insidehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/science-it%e2%80%99s-a-girl-thing-excuse-me-while-i-die-inside/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/science-it%e2%80%99s-a-girl-thing-excuse-me-while-i-die-inside/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 17:13:24 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50663“Yet another well-meaning yet soul-crushingly misdirected initiative from the public purse, this time as the European Commission engages in a cack-handed attempt to convince the high-heeled, lipstick stained people they’ve conflated with women in general that science is a Girl Thing …” (more)

[Frank Swain, SciencePunk, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/science-it%e2%80%99s-a-girl-thing-excuse-me-while-i-die-inside/feed/050663University tutor wins £60,000 libel damages from Mail and Standardhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/university-tutor-wins-60000-libel-damages-from-mail-and-standard/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/university-tutor-wins-60000-libel-damages-from-mail-and-standard/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 17:10:54 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50660“A university tutor has won £60,000 in libel damages from the Daily Mail and London Evening Standard over stories alleging he was involved in violence at a demonstration against education cuts …” (more)

[Josh Halliday, Guardian, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/university-tutor-wins-60000-libel-damages-from-mail-and-standard/feed/050660Open University lecturer under investigation after ‘publishing a Dylan Thomas story under her own name’http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/open-university-lecturer-under-investigation-after-publishing-a-dylan-thomas-story-under-her-own-name/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/open-university-lecturer-under-investigation-after-publishing-a-dylan-thomas-story-under-her-own-name/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 17:08:41 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50657“Dr Joanne Benford, an Open University lecturer, is being investigated for suspected plagiarism after allegedly publishing a Dylan Thomas story under her own name …” (more)

[Anita Singh, Daily Telegraph, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/open-university-lecturer-under-investigation-after-publishing-a-dylan-thomas-story-under-her-own-name/feed/050657‘It’s a girl thing’ is patronising drivelhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/it%e2%80%99s-a-girl-thing-is-patronising-drivel/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/it%e2%80%99s-a-girl-thing-is-patronising-drivel/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 13:12:56 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50654“This excruciating video, produced under the auspices of the European Commission via ‘Women in Research and Innovation’, is I suppose meant to encourage more young women to become scientists …” (more, video)

[In the Dark, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/it%e2%80%99s-a-girl-thing-is-patronising-drivel/feed/050654Ministers Bruton and Sherlock announce €6m in funding for Centre for Learning Innovationhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/ministers-bruton-and-sherlock-announce-e6m-in-funding-for-centre-for-learning-innovation/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/ministers-bruton-and-sherlock-announce-e6m-in-funding-for-centre-for-learning-innovation/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 10:58:07 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50651“The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD and the Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock TD have jointly announced the investment of €6 million over six years in the Centre for Learning Innovation which will benefit Irish businesses across both the technology and education sectors …” (more)

[Trinity College Communications Office, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/ministers-bruton-and-sherlock-announce-e6m-in-funding-for-centre-for-learning-innovation/feed/050651To wear or not to wear – that is the question!http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/to-wear-or-not-to-wear-%e2%80%93-that-is-the-question/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/to-wear-or-not-to-wear-%e2%80%93-that-is-the-question/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 10:55:47 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50648“The conversation on academic fashion started with a post where I wondered what to wear while presenting a keynote lecture. People sent me a lot of links and photos, which inspired me to start a new side project: a Pinterest Board on academic fashion. Recently, PhD student of fashion blogs, Rose Findlay wrote a follow up to post with extra tips on dressing …” (more)

[Inger Mewburn, The Thesis Whisperer, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/to-wear-or-not-to-wear-%e2%80%93-that-is-the-question/feed/050648Publishers! What Are They Good For? Part Deux: The Debatehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/publishers-what-are-they-good-for-part-deux-the-debate/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/publishers-what-are-they-good-for-part-deux-the-debate/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 10:53:03 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50645“A few weeks back, I wrote a short post asking you to submit your questions for a panel discussion that was to take place at the Society For Scholarly Publishing’s Annual Meeting. To those of you who took the time to submit your thoughts and questions, thank you …” (more)

[David Smith, The Scholarly Kitchen, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/publishers-what-are-they-good-for-part-deux-the-debate/feed/050645UCD’s €50m sports centre to open with Olympic-sized poolhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/ucds-e50m-sports-centre-to-open-with-olympic-sized-pool/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/ucds-e50m-sports-centre-to-open-with-olympic-sized-pool/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 07:02:52 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50641“A new €50 million sports and fitness complex, which includes the State’s third Olympic-specification swimming pool, is to open at University College Dublin on Monday. The UCD Sport Fitness student centre also includes a tournament-grade debating chamber named after the late taoiseach Garret FitzGerald …” (more)

[Fiona Gartland, Irish Times, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/ucds-e50m-sports-centre-to-open-with-olympic-sized-pool/feed/050641Maritime cluster project receives national awardhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/maritime-cluster-project-receives-national-award/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/maritime-cluster-project-receives-national-award/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 07:00:52 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50638“The new concept of an Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster in Cork has received a public service excellence award by Taoiseach Enda Kenny …” (more)

[Lorna Siggins, Irish Times, 22 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/maritime-cluster-project-receives-national-award/feed/050638At Meeting of University Presses, the Future Presses Inhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/at-meeting-of-university-presses-the-future-presses-in/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/at-meeting-of-university-presses-the-future-presses-in/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2012 06:58:07 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50635“Be part of the conversation, mind your metadata, and use technology as a bridge to the world: That advice animated sessions at the annual meeting of the Association of American University Presses, held here this week …” (more)

[Jennifer Howard, Chronicle of Higher Education, 21 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/22/at-meeting-of-university-presses-the-future-presses-in/feed/050635Irish not so gifted in foreign gabhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/irish-not-so-gifted-in-foreign-gab/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/irish-not-so-gifted-in-foreign-gab/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 21:00:26 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50632“If your language abilities only stretch as far as ‘parlez-vous Anglais?’, ‘sprechen Sie Englisch?’ or ‘an bhfuil Béarla agat?’ then it appears that you are part of the three-fifths of the population who cannot converse in another language …” (more)

[Pamela Duncan, Irish Times, 21 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/irish-not-so-gifted-in-foreign-gab/feed/050632SFI welcomes milestone agreement as Ireland set to play host to Brazil in the field of sciencehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/sfi-welcomes-milestone-agreement-as-ireland-set-to-play-host-to-brazil-in-the-field-of-science/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/sfi-welcomes-milestone-agreement-as-ireland-set-to-play-host-to-brazil-in-the-field-of-science/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 20:53:11 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50629“The Government’s science agency, Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), has today welcomed the signing of major education and research agreements with two Brazilian State agencies. The agreements, with a particular focus on science, engineering and technology, will enable as many as 1,500 Brazilian scholarship students to visit Ireland over the next four years …” (more)

[Science Foundation Ireland, 21 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/sfi-welcomes-milestone-agreement-as-ireland-set-to-play-host-to-brazil-in-the-field-of-science/feed/050629Science needs more women says EU, as it launches ‘Science: it’s a girl thing’ campaignhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/science-needs-more-women-says-eu-as-it-launches-%e2%80%98science-its-a-girl-thing%e2%80%99-campaign/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/science-needs-more-women-says-eu-as-it-launches-%e2%80%98science-its-a-girl-thing%e2%80%99-campaign/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 20:50:13 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50626“The European Commission has today launched a new three-year campaign targeted at getting more teenage girls interested in science. European Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn launched the science initiative today, which will cover all 27 EU member states for the next three years …” (more)

[Carmel Doyle, Silicon Republic, 21 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/science-needs-more-women-says-eu-as-it-launches-%e2%80%98science-its-a-girl-thing%e2%80%99-campaign/feed/050626Cambridge University must overturn this suspension for reading a poemhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/cambridge-university-must-overturn-this-suspension-for-reading-a-poem/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/cambridge-university-must-overturn-this-suspension-for-reading-a-poem/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 20:48:06 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50623“Owen Holland has been sentenced to a suspension of seven terms by Cambridge University’s court of discipline for reading a poem aloud. He was found guilty in March of ‘impeding freedom of speech’ after a group of students disrupted a lecture by David Willetts, the minister for universities and science, in November last year …” (more)

[James Everest, Guardian, 21 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/cambridge-university-must-overturn-this-suspension-for-reading-a-poem/feed/050623The 100,000-student classroomhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/the-100000-student-classroom/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/the-100000-student-classroom/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 20:45:45 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50620“In the fall of 2011 taught a class with Sebastian Thrun on artificial intelligence at Stanford attended by 175 students in situ – and over 100,000 via an interactive webcast. He shares what he learned about teaching to a global classroom …” (more, video)

[TED, 21 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/the-100000-student-classroom/feed/050620Third Level Access Schemes, DARE & HEAR, Win Taoiseach’s Public Service Excellence Awardhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/third-level-access-schemes-dare-hear-win-taoiseach%e2%80%99s-public-service-excellence-award/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/third-level-access-schemes-dare-hear-win-taoiseach%e2%80%99s-public-service-excellence-award/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 16:29:43 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50617“At a ceremony in Dublin Castle on June 21st last An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny presented a Public Service Excellence Award to two college admission schemes the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) and the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) …” (more)

[Trinity College Communications Office, 21 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/third-level-access-schemes-dare-hear-win-taoiseach%e2%80%99s-public-service-excellence-award/feed/050617Google launches project to protect dying languages – including Irishhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/google-launches-project-to-protect-dying-languages-%e2%80%93-including-irish/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/google-launches-project-to-protect-dying-languages-%e2%80%93-including-irish/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 12:13:32 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50614“Google launched the Endangered Languages Project on Wednesday to help preserve and strengthen languages that are on the brink of disappearing and our national language is on the list …” (more)

[Fergal Gallagher, Digital Times, 21 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/google-launches-project-to-protect-dying-languages-%e2%80%93-including-irish/feed/050614Sweet or sour? Fans of Grayling’s courses defend the menuhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/sweet-or-sour-fans-of-graylings-courses-defend-the-menu/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/sweet-or-sour-fans-of-graylings-courses-defend-the-menu/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 11:10:43 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50610“… The event on 14 June – organised by Times Higher Education and The New York Review of Books – saw 14 intellectual heavyweights representing universities and schools squashed into an upstairs dining room to hear what Professor Grayling had to say over goulash and a couple of glasses of wine …” (more)

[David Matthews, Times Higher Education, 21 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/sweet-or-sour-fans-of-graylings-courses-defend-the-menu/feed/050610Minister Sherlock announces €6m in funding for centre for learning innovationhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/minister-sherlock-announces-e6m-in-funding-for-centre-for-learning-innovation/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/minister-sherlock-announces-e6m-in-funding-for-centre-for-learning-innovation/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 10:55:19 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50607“The Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock TD and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD today jointly announced the investment of €6 million over 6 years in the Centre for Learning Innovation which will benefit Irish businesses across both the technology and education sectors …” (more)

[The Labour Party, 21 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/minister-sherlock-announces-e6m-in-funding-for-centre-for-learning-innovation/feed/050607Value for money approach pays offhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/value-for-money-approach-pays-off/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/value-for-money-approach-pays-off/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 07:28:27 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50604“The annual figures usually catch the eye – €44 million in 2011, €25 million the year before – and in a few weeks, Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) once again announces just how much money will be granted under its Principal Investigator (PI) programme …” (more)

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/failing-the-turing-test/feed/050601‘Fair’ papers go beyond textbookhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/fair-papers-go-beyond-textbook/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/fair-papers-go-beyond-textbook/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 07:23:08 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50598“The black economy, the household charge and taxes on sugary drinks were all up for discussion on yesterday’s higher-level Leaving Cert economics exam. Students were also asked to lay out the pros and cons of a return of third-level fees …” (more)

[Louise Holden, Irish Times, 21 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/fair-papers-go-beyond-textbook/feed/050598Unauthorised Expenditure by Universitieshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/unauthorised-expenditure-by-universities/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/unauthorised-expenditure-by-universities/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 07:20:23 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50595“Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the action he will take in relation to unauthorised expenditure by universities; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/unauthorised-expenditure-by-universities/feed/050595Hyland Reporthttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/hyland-report/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/hyland-report/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2012 07:17:05 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50592“Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills when he expects reform proposals from the heads of universities following the publication of the Hyland Report last September; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/21/hyland-report/feed/050592It is at last being recognised that private colleges make an essential contribution to higher educationhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/it-is-at-last-being-recognised-that-private-colleges-make-an-essential-contribution-to-higher-education/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/it-is-at-last-being-recognised-that-private-colleges-make-an-essential-contribution-to-higher-education/#respondWed, 20 Jun 2012 16:41:56 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50587“In the reviews by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) currently in progress on the future of higher education in Ireland, it is vital that the contribution of the private colleges is taken into consideration …” (more)

[John Kelly, Independent, 20 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/it-is-at-last-being-recognised-that-private-colleges-make-an-essential-contribution-to-higher-education/feed/050587Do not censor science in the name of biosecurityhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/do-not-censor-science-in-the-name-of-biosecurity/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/do-not-censor-science-in-the-name-of-biosecurity/#respondWed, 20 Jun 2012 16:35:43 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50584“The recent controversy over research into mutated versions of the H5N1 flu virus has focused on biosecurity concerns. It is easy to get the impression that this debate has created a clear split between a scientific community that wants the research to proceed and the results to be published and a biosecurity community that doesn’t …” (more)

[Tim Trevan, Nature News & Comment, 20 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/do-not-censor-science-in-the-name-of-biosecurity/feed/050584World’s most productive universitieshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/world%e2%80%99s-most-productive-universities/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/world%e2%80%99s-most-productive-universities/#respondWed, 20 Jun 2012 16:33:32 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50581“One distinctive role of universities is to produce new knowledge. Sometimes, as with Albert Einstein’s classic 1905 paper on relativity, a single insight can change the world. But in the present era of university competition, it is not wise to rely on lone genius …” (more)

[Martin Ince, QS Intelligence Unit, 20 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/world%e2%80%99s-most-productive-universities/feed/050581The Costs of Working in Ireland Againhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/the-costs-of-working-in-ireland-again/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/the-costs-of-working-in-ireland-again/#respondWed, 20 Jun 2012 12:11:13 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50577“Because of the media storm last week about the Tol et al paper on working costs, myself and a few colleagues (separately) decided to read the paper to see what all the fuss was about …” (more)

[Aedín Doris, Donal O’Neill and Frank Walsh, Irish Economy, 20 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/the-costs-of-working-in-ireland-again/feed/050577Programme 143, Dyslexiahttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/programme-143-dyslexia/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/programme-143-dyslexia/#respondWed, 20 Jun 2012 08:28:02 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50574“Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this programme Psychologist, Dr. Erika Doyle, from the Growing Up in Ireland study, explains what dyslexia is, how it can be diagnosed and what teachers can do to support learners who have the condition. She also discusses research that she has done to try and diagnose dyslexia in children from a young age.” (mp3)

[Inside Education on 103.2 Dublin City FM, 20 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/programme-143-dyslexia/feed/050574Higher Education Grantshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/higher-education-grants-21/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/higher-education-grants-21/#respondWed, 20 Jun 2012 06:25:05 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50571“Deputy Jerry Buttimer: I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue and I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon. I wish to discuss the new online grant application system and, in particular, the website grantsonline.ie. The issue relates specifically to self-employed parents who have had difficulties when using this new website …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/higher-education-grants-21/feed/050571UK move to ‘open access’ in publishing ‘misguided’http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/uk-move-to-open-access-in-publishing-misguided/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/uk-move-to-open-access-in-publishing-misguided/#respondWed, 20 Jun 2012 06:22:32 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50568“Advocates of ‘open access’ publishing in academia say a UK report that proposes spending £60 million a year to make all publicly-funded research free to access will protect the profits of publishers at the expense of scholarship …” (more)

[Justin Norrie, The Conversation, 20 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/uk-move-to-open-access-in-publishing-misguided/feed/050568ESRI report an attempt to validate attacks on welfare recipientshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/esri-report-an-attempt-to-validate-attacks-on-welfare-recipients/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/esri-report-an-attempt-to-validate-attacks-on-welfare-recipients/#respondWed, 20 Jun 2012 06:20:18 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50565“The furore around the recent ESRI paper that suggested that some 44% of workers would be better off on the dole, overlooked one thing …” (more)

[Jim O’Sullivan, Irish Examiner, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/20/esri-report-an-attempt-to-validate-attacks-on-welfare-recipients/feed/050565Branding in higher education – just how feasible is distinctiveness?http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/branding-in-higher-education-just-how-feasible-is-distinctiveness/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/branding-in-higher-education-just-how-feasible-is-distinctiveness/#respondTue, 19 Jun 2012 14:41:37 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50562“In competitive times, universities are being encouraged to create more distinct brand identities. But how compatible is this with the existing measures of excellence? …” (more)

[Eliza Anyangwe, Guardian Professional, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/branding-in-higher-education-just-how-feasible-is-distinctiveness/feed/050562Contrarianism and T&Lhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/contrarianism-and-tl/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/contrarianism-and-tl/#respondTue, 19 Jun 2012 12:39:56 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50559“The whole ESRI debate surrounding the working paper of economist, Richard Tol, has been interesting. I know little about economics and less about Prof Tol, so I’m not going to talk about him except that to say that he, and a picture of him in last Saturday’s Irish Times got me thinking about contrarianism …” (more)

[educationandstuff, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/contrarianism-and-tl/feed/050559More home students need to take up postgraduate studieshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/more-home-students-need-to-take-up-postgraduate-studies/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/more-home-students-need-to-take-up-postgraduate-studies/#respondTue, 19 Jun 2012 12:37:04 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50556“We need to address the decline in home students pursuing postgraduate study before it affects international student admissions …” (more)

[Kim Catcheside, Guardian Professional, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/more-home-students-need-to-take-up-postgraduate-studies/feed/050556Researchers need greater freedom to develop solutions, says academichttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/researchers-need-greater-freedom-to-develop-solutions-says-academic/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/researchers-need-greater-freedom-to-develop-solutions-says-academic/#respondTue, 19 Jun 2012 07:07:14 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50553“Researchers need to be given greater freedom to develop new and creative solutions and avoid the danger of group think, a leading academic has said. Royal Irish Academy professor Luke Drury urged the Government to make greater use of the resources available to it in the academic community …” (more)

[Joe Dermody, Irish Examiner, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/researchers-need-greater-freedom-to-develop-solutions-says-academic/feed/050553Quinn criticises public sector ‘sickies’http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/quinn-criticises-public-sector-sickies/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/quinn-criticises-public-sector-sickies/#respondTue, 19 Jun 2012 07:04:53 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50550“Labour minister Ruairi Quinn has hit out at certain sections of the public sector who, he says, are ‘throwing a sickie’. Speaking to reporters following the Action Plan for Jobs Forum in Dublin Castle yesterday, Mr Quinn said there was a divide between the public and private sectors when it comes to absenteeism …” (more)

[Breda Heffernan and Anne-Marie Walsh, Independent, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/quinn-criticises-public-sector-sickies/feed/050550Push for gold will cost millions, open-access report sayshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/push-for-gold-will-cost-millions-open-access-report-says/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/push-for-gold-will-cost-millions-open-access-report-says/#respondTue, 19 Jun 2012 07:02:55 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50547“A transition to full open-access publishing will cost UK higher education an extra £50 million or £60 million a year, according to a long-awaited report on how the country should make the change …” (more)

[Paul Jump, Times Higher Education, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/push-for-gold-will-cost-millions-open-access-report-says/feed/050547Action urged over universities’ fineshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/action-urged-over-universities-fines/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/action-urged-over-universities-fines/#respondTue, 19 Jun 2012 07:00:24 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50544“The Scottish Government has been urged to act after universities face fines as a result of a loophole allowing students from Northern Ireland to dodge tuition fees …” (more)

[Andrew Denholm, Herald Scotland, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/action-urged-over-universities-fines/feed/050544Research centre for testing products will be first of its type in countryhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/research-centre-for-testing-products-will-be-first-of-its-type-in-country/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/research-centre-for-testing-products-will-be-first-of-its-type-in-country/#respondTue, 19 Jun 2012 06:58:30 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50541“A research and innovation centre which will be the first of its type in the country for testing new products is to be created in Cork. Those behind the Mallow Systems Innovation Centre believe it will provide far-reaching technological, economic, and educational dividends for the town …” (more)

[Sean O’Riordan, Irish Examiner, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/research-centre-for-testing-products-will-be-first-of-its-type-in-country/feed/050541What to do with all this dissent?http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/what-to-do-with-all-this-dissent/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/what-to-do-with-all-this-dissent/#respondTue, 19 Jun 2012 06:55:46 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50538“Last month the Irish Times published an article by Tom Garvin, a recently retired professor from University College Dublin, in which he suggested that Irish universities were being destroyed by an ‘indescribable grey philistinism’ …” (more)

[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/what-to-do-with-all-this-dissent/feed/050538Crime rates compared in university league tablehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/crime-rates-compared-in-university-league-table/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/crime-rates-compared-in-university-league-table/#respondTue, 19 Jun 2012 06:52:13 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50535“London institutions have taken the 18 highest places in a league table of robbery and assaults around universities in England and Wales. The study used police figures to measure crime rates in a three-mile radius around campuses …” (more)

[Sean Coughlan, BBC News, 19 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/19/crime-rates-compared-in-university-league-table/feed/050535Universities to set A-levels in new qualifications overhaulhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/universities-to-set-a-levels-in-new-qualifications-overhaul/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/universities-to-set-a-levels-in-new-qualifications-overhaul/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 21:44:13 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50530“Examiners will be expected to enlist the help of at least 20 British universities when drafting exam syllabuses and test questions as part of a major drive to raise standards, the Telegraph has learned. All new qualifications will require a formal ‘sign-off’ from universities – particularly leading research institutions – before being sat by sixth-formers …” (more)

[Graeme Paton, Daily Telegraph, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/universities-to-set-a-levels-in-new-qualifications-overhaul/feed/050530Romanian prime minister accused of plagiarismhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/romanian-prime-minister-accused-of-plagiarism/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/romanian-prime-minister-accused-of-plagiarism/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 18:40:57 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50527“Romania’s new government, still reeling from a misconduct scandal that forced its research minister to resign last month, has been hit by fresh allegations of plagiarism that strike at the very top. Prime Minister Victor Ponta has been accused of copying large sections of his 2003 PhD thesis in law from previous publications, without proper reference …” (more)

[Quirin Schiermeier, Nature News & Comment, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/romanian-prime-minister-accused-of-plagiarism/feed/050527The Lir Building Shortlisted for Architecture Awardhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/the-lir-building-shortlisted-for-architecture-award/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/the-lir-building-shortlisted-for-architecture-award/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 17:33:03 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50523The Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College Dublin has been shortlisted for the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI) Public Choice Award 2012 …” (more)

[Trinity College Communications Office, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/the-lir-building-shortlisted-for-architecture-award/feed/050523Hoping Adrian Weckler Isn’t Righthttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/hoping-adrian-weckler-isnt-right/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/hoping-adrian-weckler-isnt-right/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 15:13:43 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50520“I listen to Adrian Weckler, partly for opinion and partly for trend analysis. Yesterday, he dismissed two technologies we have used in our third level curriculum. We use QR Codes and Google Hangouts to improve access third level students have to supplemental material and guest lecturers …” (more)

[Bernie Goldbach, Inside View from Ireland, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/hoping-adrian-weckler-isnt-right/feed/050520Anti-cuts university tutor begins libel action against Mail and Standardhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/anti-cuts-university-tutor-begins-libel-action-against-mail-and-standard/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/anti-cuts-university-tutor-begins-libel-action-against-mail-and-standard/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 15:10:46 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50517“A university tutor described by the Daily Mail and London Evening Standard of having a key role in violent anti-cuts protests in London has begun a landmark libel action against the two newspapers …” (more)

[Josh Halliday, Guardian, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/anti-cuts-university-tutor-begins-libel-action-against-mail-and-standard/feed/050517Oxford University offers £22,000 to Northern Irish studentshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/oxford-university-offers-22000-to-northern-irish-students/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/oxford-university-offers-22000-to-northern-irish-students/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 14:38:52 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50514“Oxford University has confirmed it will be extending its student financial support package, which is the most generous in the country for low-income students, to students from Northern Ireland as well as English students …” (more)

[Belfast Telegraph, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/oxford-university-offers-22000-to-northern-irish-students/feed/050514A professor’s cri de coeurhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/a-professor%e2%80%99s-cri-de-coeur/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/a-professor%e2%80%99s-cri-de-coeur/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 14:36:52 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50511“Last week, David Dudley did something that surprised his colleagues at Georgia Southern University. He sent all of them an open letter in which he described – in detail – the extent of dysfunction he sees at the university …” (more)

[Scott Jaschik, Times Higher Education, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/a-professor%e2%80%99s-cri-de-coeur/feed/050511Leaving on a jetplane – International Education cuts both wayshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/leaving-on-a-jetplane-international-education-cuts-both-ways/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/leaving-on-a-jetplane-international-education-cuts-both-ways/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 11:58:10 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50508“… What does this mean for Universities in Ireland. If the best and the brightest of their potential undergraduates can now go overseas as easily as getting to Dublin or Cork, why wouldn’t they? NUIM or Notre Dame? CIT or Cornell? It’s ok. There’s be plenty of students. You can get along fine with the ones who don’t have the pluck to go abroad …” (more)

[Robert Cosgrave, Tertiary21, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/leaving-on-a-jetplane-international-education-cuts-both-ways/feed/050508Internet freedom in Ireland: apathy is not a policyhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/internet-freedom-in-ireland-apathy-is-not-a-policy/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/internet-freedom-in-ireland-apathy-is-not-a-policy/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 11:07:23 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50505“How does the overall Irish track record on online freedoms stack up? Taken as a whole, it strikes me that the internet is generally quite free in Ireland, but this is a result of apathy rather than policy …” (more)

[TJ McIntyre, IT Law in Ireland, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/internet-freedom-in-ireland-apathy-is-not-a-policy/feed/050505Universities facing fines for extra Irish studentshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/universities-facing-fines-for-extra-irish-students/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/universities-facing-fines-for-extra-irish-students/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 11:05:19 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50502“Scottish universities are facing fines as a result of a legal loophole allowing students from Northern Ireland to seek free university education in Scotland. Under legislation affecting UK residents, students from Northern Ireland were expected to pay up to £9000 a year to attend Scottish universities. However, if these students take up their right to dual citizenship with the Irish Republic, they can apply as EU students and have their fees paid …” (more)

[Andrew Denholm, Herald Scotland, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/universities-facing-fines-for-extra-irish-students/feed/050502Academia, stressful? Not for me!http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/academia-stressful-not-for-me/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/academia-stressful-not-for-me/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 11:02:24 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50499“There’s been a lot of talk recently about the pressures of higher education. Actually, says one postgrad student, university life is a joy …” (more)

[Katie Beswick, Guardian, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/academia-stressful-not-for-me/feed/050499How small can a university be?http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/how-small-can-a-university-be/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/how-small-can-a-university-be/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 08:21:15 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50496“Size isn’t everything but does it matter for a university? I picked up an interesting blog post from Andy Westwood, CEO of GuildHE, in which he argues that the reduction in the required number of students for the award of university title is a good decision …” (more)

[Registrarism, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/how-small-can-a-university-be/feed/050496Reputations are easily damaged, as the ESRI is finding outhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/reputations-are-easily-damaged-as-the-esri-is-finding-out/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/reputations-are-easily-damaged-as-the-esri-is-finding-out/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 07:09:02 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50493“Reputations take years to earn but can be lost in a flash. I thought of this last week as I watched, with some dismay, as the Economic and Social Research Institute committed reputational suicide …” (more)

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/sentencing-of-medics-in-bahrain/feed/050490Protecting national archiveshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/protecting-national-archives/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/protecting-national-archives/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 07:04:47 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50487“Sir, – Minister for Arts, Jimmy Deenihan (Opinion, June 11th) cleared up a lot of issues regarding his thinking about the review of national cultural institutions …” (more)

[Virginia Teehan, Irish Times, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/protecting-national-archives/feed/050487Future U: Rise of the digital humanitieshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/future-u-rise-of-the-digital-humanities/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/future-u-rise-of-the-digital-humanities/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 07:02:53 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50484“The trends we have encountered in exploring Future U — social tech, the Web, crowdsourcing, data visualization, new tools and old concerns, the classics and the cutting edge — all seem to dovetail nicely into the nascent discipline of digital technologies …” (more)

[Curt Hopkins, Ars Technica, 17 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/future-u-rise-of-the-digital-humanities/feed/050484Law on fixed-term contracts needs to be reformedhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/law-on-fixed-term-contracts-needs-to-be-reformed/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/law-on-fixed-term-contracts-needs-to-be-reformed/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2012 06:59:07 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50481“… Contrast the recent decision of the Labour Court, where despite it being clear that certain appointments in TCD were contingent upon the continued availability of external funding which had now ceased, the Labour Court nonetheless made a ruling which rendered mutually agreed termination provisions ineffective because of the Croke Park Agreement’s outlawing ‘compulsory redundancy’ …” (more)

[Irish Times, 18 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/18/law-on-fixed-term-contracts-needs-to-be-reformed/feed/050481A little bit of sex but not too much, we’re British university studentshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/a-little-bit-of-sex-but-not-too-much-were-british-university-students/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/a-little-bit-of-sex-but-not-too-much-were-british-university-students/#respondSun, 17 Jun 2012 17:27:46 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50478“Student Beans has published a British university sex league, which consists of the results of a survey of the number of sex partners since starting university. At the top is Bangor University with an average of 8.31, followed by Heriot-Watt and Plymouth. This is probably a result of savage cuts which have curtailed library hours and left students with nothing else to do …” (more)

[Richard Holmes, University Ranking Watch, 17 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/a-little-bit-of-sex-but-not-too-much-were-british-university-students/feed/050478Law Schools Fudge Numbers, Disregard Ethics to Increase Their Rankinghttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/law-schools-fudge-numbers-disregard-ethics-to-increase-their-ranking/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/law-schools-fudge-numbers-disregard-ethics-to-increase-their-ranking/#respondSun, 17 Jun 2012 17:25:30 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50475“Why are law schools hiding the truth? In the depths of the worst legal employment market in decades, when more than one third of recent graduates nationwide have failed to land lawyer jobs, law schools across the country still trumpet employment rates in the 90% range, along with glittering six-figure salaries …” (more)

[Brian Tamanaha, The Daily Beast, 17 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/law-schools-fudge-numbers-disregard-ethics-to-increase-their-ranking/feed/050475Human Irrationality is a Fact, not a Fadhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/human-irrationality-is-a-fact-not-a-fad/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/human-irrationality-is-a-fact-not-a-fad/#respondSun, 17 Jun 2012 17:23:19 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50472“Once upon a time, we were taught that people are basically rational — at least when they have to be, at the stock market, the voting booth, the courtroom, the hospital, the school, the employment office and other important places …” (more)

[David Berreby, Big Think, 15 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/human-irrationality-is-a-fact-not-a-fad/feed/050472New institute hopes to strengthen Irish-Indian tieshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/new-institute-hopes-to-strengthen-irish-indian-ties/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/new-institute-hopes-to-strengthen-irish-indian-ties/#respondSun, 17 Jun 2012 13:50:04 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50469“Ruairí Quinn has officially opened the Ireland-India Institute, a new national centre at Dublin City University. The Education and Skills Minister hopes the facility will drive enterprise, research and academic collaboration between the two countries …” (more)

[TheJournal.ie, 17 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/new-institute-hopes-to-strengthen-irish-indian-ties/feed/050469Five words I can’t quite say in Frenchhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/five-words-i-cant-quite-say-in-french/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/five-words-i-cant-quite-say-in-french/#respondSun, 17 Jun 2012 09:35:29 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50466“All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl. And that is pretty much what has been happening to me this last week or so … two lectures (under different banners in the British Museum), a vast pile of exam scripts, job interviews to prepare for tomorrow (me doing the interviewing thank god, but prep still required), and the French lecture on Wednesday …” (more)

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/the-esris-impartiality-must-now-be-questioned/feed/050463Fear of bullying claims hits public-sector reformhttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/fear-of-bullying-claims-hits-public-sector-reform/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/fear-of-bullying-claims-hits-public-sector-reform/#respondSun, 17 Jun 2012 08:47:35 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50460“Public-sector reform is impossible because managers ‘fear’ they will not be ‘backed up’ and could be accused of bullying if they try to tackle underperformance, top civil servants have said …” (more)

[Daniel McConnell and Tom Lyons, Independent, 17 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/fear-of-bullying-claims-hits-public-sector-reform/feed/050460Weak euro lures students westwardshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/weak-euro-lures-students-westwards/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/weak-euro-lures-students-westwards/#respondSun, 17 Jun 2012 08:45:00 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50457“Computer science major Zhang Yuqing decided to quit her college in Beijing this year and apply to one of the grandes écoles in France, an idea inspired by the weakening of the euro …” (more)

[Wang Zhuoqiong and Li Xiang, University World News, 17 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/weak-euro-lures-students-westwards/feed/050457Making the gradehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/making-the-grade-3/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/making-the-grade-3/#respondSun, 17 Jun 2012 08:42:52 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50454“Madam – Last year some of us admired the entrepreneurial imagination of the student who sold his Leaving Certificate notes. On reflection a certain unease about school examinations set in …” (more)

[Philip O’Neill, Independent, 17 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/making-the-grade-3/feed/050454Fear over government plan to create more universitieshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/fear-over-government-plan-to-create-more-universities/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/fear-over-government-plan-to-create-more-universities/#respondSun, 17 Jun 2012 08:40:32 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50451“Small specialist colleges in Britain will be given new powers to become universities in the biggest expansion of higher education in 20 years, it was revealed last week …” (more)

[University World News, 17 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/fear-over-government-plan-to-create-more-universities/feed/050451Universities are target of hundreds of bomb hoaxeshttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/universities-are-target-of-hundreds-of-bomb-hoaxes/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/universities-are-target-of-hundreds-of-bomb-hoaxes/#respondSun, 17 Jun 2012 08:38:52 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50448“Universities across the country are being terrorised by what detectives believe is a linked series of bomb threats designed to cause chaos on campuses. Around 50 institutions have been the victim of hundreds of hoaxes in the past month …” (more)

[Daniel Boffey, Observer, 17 June]

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/universities-are-target-of-hundreds-of-bomb-hoaxes/feed/050448DCU mourn passing of Nicola Furlonghttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/dcu-mourn-passing-of-nicola-furlong/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/dcu-mourn-passing-of-nicola-furlong/#respondSun, 17 Jun 2012 08:37:06 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50445“The DCU community has been left shocked with the news of the tragic death of student Nicola Furlong while studying in Japan. The 21-year-old Business and Japanese student was studying in Takasaki City University of Economics in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, about 95km northwest of Tokyo …” (more)

]]>http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/i-hoped-dead-girl-wasnt-my-nicola/feed/050442Universities face sharp decline in international student growth ratehttp://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/universities-face-sharp-decline-in-international-student-growth-rate/
http://9thlevel.ie/2012/06/17/universities-face-sharp-decline-in-international-student-growth-rate/#respondSun, 17 Jun 2012 08:32:55 +0000http://9thlevel.ie/?p=50438“The UK is expected to increase its intake of overseas students by 30,000 in the next decade, outpacing the United States, its greatest competitor. But a significant slowdown in the rate of growth means UK universities and education policy-makers should rethink their strategies, a new report warns …” (more)